The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-02-12

himp
"But theer wuz one thin bout Ben
jie ez gin me some oneasiness. He
wuz so 'hail-feller-well-met' with every
body that l trembled ter think what
comp'ny he might consort with when
he'd outgrowed Miss Hester N me, fur
we didn't consait as he'd alters keep
sech contented home-boy.
Zone day, Miss Hester n me he'd a
talk bout his futur'' He'd larned all
he could with us, an Miss Hester wuz
anxious ez Benjie sh'd go to college;
but, thanks ter Benjamin, she hedn't
got any greet amount O. coin lynn roun'
loose ter SEN him with. But we greed
ez we could haul in here an theer, an
some way or 'nuther stub through.
Miss Hester N me didn't gree on one
PINT, though. l went in fur telling
Benjie ez how 'twuz only by the skin
o. her teeth his aunt 'ud be able ter
keep thin's runnin'; but she says: No,
let him go with min easy an COM
fort BILE, or not at all. So off he went.
free-and-easy-minded, though twuz
clear ter me ez he went more ter please
his aunt than hisself.
"Fust long, every thin's moved on
well; but, after while, l begun ter
hev forebodin's. l can't say what made
'em start in on me, an tried and tried
to poh 'em off. His letters come reg
lar ez ever, an Miss Hester she didn't
seem ter see no difference. But it
'peared ter me ez he said less an lie IS
bouthis studies, an wuz all the time
a-harpin' on his chum, which he writ
wuz regular king 'mongst 'em, by
reason O. his heaps o money an fun.
He 'peared ter call on purity frequent
fur money, tew.
"I can't no ways imagine, writ
Benjie, why Richard Cross hez choos-
ed me out O. the hull lot fur his per-
tick Ter friend, but it's a greet compli-
ment, Aunt Hetty, We may b'lieve.
She was pleased ter hev her boy 'preci-
ated, but l KEEP mum, an turned it
every which way in my min By this
time, Benji'ed go bout half-through
college, with money handed out for
him ez free ez eff the bushes down back
pastur' growed silver dollars std O.
huckleberries. II felt ez eff 'twu2
onjust ter the boy ter hide all the
skimpin's from him an hev Miss Hes.
ter bear it unbeknownst ter him
'Twuzn't nat'ral fur young thin
like him ter be economic, when he
didn't know ez theer wuz any neet
ont. / felt eff he once got hol' o
what his aunt wuz a-doin' fur him
he'd come up ter the mark like man
so says I to myself, III go down an
'nlighten him. So Imade some 'xcus,
or nuther ter Miss Hester fur takin' ;
day off, an away l went.
"Fust, though, went ter the bank
an drawed out trihe or SO, ez II
slowed away fur rainy day. Fur,
says |, there's no KNOWN but what it
Gomez an, furthermore, 1 thought e;
how the advice | wus a-goin' ter offe
Benjie might need some sech seasonin
fore he could swaller it easy. All tn
journey long l wuz tryin' ter max
up this speech an tibet speech, bu
'twasn't no go, so l says at las; 'Whe
l git theer, I'll jes' open my mouth, al
let the Lord fill it, fur I'll be hanged {
faint the Lords business I'm bout
'Benjie,' says l, arter l got thee
/ an he'd passed the usual compliment;
/ ries, 4 never see a boy so greedy fl
| stories ez you've alters ben. Settin' o
the wood-pile N summer, an roun' tn
= kitchen fire winter nights, I've tole y,
off n on, 'nough stories ter fill a shil
, Some on 'em wuz fairy stories, SON
7 he'd grain O truth bout 'em, viii
more wuz clear lies-make-ups O. mir
but now I've come down here ter te
s We a story ez beats 'em all, fur it's go
= pei truth, every livin' word ont
/ l commences, a-pickin' O. my worC
; with fear an tremblin'.
ga good many years ago, Benii
=, tew O. the bes' people 1 ever knowC
5 died, an lef' a half-growed woman a
J., boy a trife younger ter fight the
J., way long ez best they might. N SCI
s case, Benjie, dye think it's mani
l. to let the woman dew the heft O. Il
d battlin', an kerry mos o. the burden
t That's what he done; an arter Will
: she kerried not only the heft, but Il
hull ont. She sakerfced every thi
d fur him, an what did she reap fur
r wardP Nothin', l give We my wo
z fort, but the bitteres' kim o. h.
: yes.
h One o. the likeliest men ev
}, seed wuz a-keepin' comply along
h her. This wuthless brother, he DIR
It him off, n broke up the match f'rev,
y Their father let 'em harnsom' livi
7 this ongrateful brother, he wasted
n all, her substance. IS well s his'n, wi
n riotous Twin. Not to be ten hard
z him, he managed, one way n 'nuth